Changes, Changes, and More Changes
'' Changes, Changes, and More Changes ''is the twenty-second book in the Middle School Experience series. It talks about Jessie and Alex's experiences on their changing bodies. Jessie is worried about her period coming at a late age, and Alex is dismayed when she first gets her period and has to start wearing a bra. After the annual puberty and sex-ed talk at school, Jessie and Alex start thinking about the changes surrounding their bodies--or perceived lack thereof, since Jessie hasn't gotten her period and is worried that she will be the last one in her age group to get it. Alex prefers not to think about the changes to her body but is forced to when she ends up getting her period and starts wearing a bra for the first time. Puberty isn't easy for any girl, but will Alex and Jessie be able to handle the paces of their growing bodies? Summary The Monday after Thanksgiving Break, Alex goes to her second period health class. When she realizes that there are only girls from both her class and another health class in the room, she realizes that it's sex-ed week, much to her dismay. Before class, she chats with Regina and Jessie, who are in a different health class from her, about their break. When the bell rings, Alex's teacher, Coach Bevan, commences sex-ed week by announcing that the girls will be discussing different aspects of their health in high school and introduces a high school mentor that will help teach the lesson, Astrid. Astrid proves to be an unlikable assistant to both Coach Bevan and the girls, who are embarrassed when she asks them if they have their periods. Alex quickly takes a disliking to her, and she and Astrid get into an argument when Astrid tries to force her to take a puberty kit, which she doesn't want. At the end of class, Coach Bevan notices that Alex didn't take a puberty kit, and the two discuss how bad Astrid's mentoring was; however, the teacher tells Alex that she needs to start taking puberty more seriously, which annoys her. Later that day, Jessie and some of her friends discuss this year's sex-ed unit at lunch. Some of her friends had a different high school mentor, so they didn't mind their sex-ed talk, but some of them had Astrid and discussed how annoying she was. Jessie was one of the people who was annoyed by Astrid, mainly because she asked the girls if they had their periods. Jessie, who was one of the girls in the room who didn't have her period, begins to worry that she will go through the rest of middle school without getting it. At home, Alex and her sister Katelyn are talking about their day at school with their mom when she brings up the sex-ed units. When Alex tries to brush off puberty as unimportant because she isn't going through it, Carrie brings up Alex's recent habit of layering her shirts to hide her growing breasts, which infuriates her. Later that evening, before dinner, Carrie goes to Alex's room to apologize for embarrassing her with the "breasts" conversation and tries to discuss puberty and sex with her, but Alex cuts her off and goes downstairs for dinner, refusing to make a big deal about her changing body. In health class on Wednesday, Coach Bevan announces to the girls that they will write a short essay about how health class has impacted their middle school experiences and has them break into small groups to brainstorm and discuss essay ideas with their peers. Jessie forms a group with Alex, Regina, and two other girls, and they discuss topics such as mental health and high school. However, the conversation begins to go downhill for Jessie when one of the girls brings up periods. She begins to feel left out and miserable from the conversation, and she grows increasingly annoyed with Alex for having a childish attitude towards the topic. At the end of class, Jessie leaves the classroom without waiting for her friends. Throughout class, Alex notices that she is developing a bad stomachache, one that had been occurring on and off since Monday, and her friends suggest that she stop by the clinic. When Alex feels something dripping inside of her and sees blood on her underpants when she examines the situation, she decides to take her friends' advice. At the clinic, the nurse, Nurse Martinez, asks Alex a series of questions and concludes that she had gotten her period, much to her horror. Nurse Martinez provides Alex with the materials needed to cope with period symptoms, but Alex is pissed off about this turn of events. Alex explains her situation to her friends at lunch, and they congratulate her on it except for Jessie, who is oddly cold to her and makes a snide comment about it. Alex reluctantly tells her mom about it at school, and Carrie gives her more information on how to handle periods. Throughout the rest of the day, Alex satisfies her food cravings by eating a large amount of junk food, and though Carrie warns her that junk food can exacerbate her period symptoms, Alex doesn't listen to her. However, this negatively affects her, as she wakes up with horrible cramps and a large amount of blood soaking her pajama pants and bedsheets, and she feels lethargic as she gets ready for the day. At school, she spends the period before homeroom worrying about leaking, and when she tries to explain to Jessie about her situation, Jessie is rude to her and storms off. During homeroom, when Alex stands up to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, she realizes that her blood flows out very heavily, and she realizes that she had bled through her pants and underwear, which she has to wear all day because she doesn't have a change of clothes. This results in her being made fun of by the Popular Sensations and other passing students. Humiliated and anger, Alex's animosity for the time of the month intensifies. Jessie ends up having a bad day at school, and after school during their bus ride home, she confesses to Chloe that she is jealous of Alex for getting her period and expresses her worries about being a late bloomer; unfortunately, Chloe brushes off her issue as unimportant, which annoys her. Jessie is further annoyed when her boyfriend Freddy tries to reassure her that she has nothing to worry about because she doesn't have her period. When Jessie arrives home from school, her mother notices that she is in a bad mood, and when she appears insensitive when Jessie vents to her, Jessie snaps at her and storms to her room in tears, frustrated that no one is taking her problem seriously. Later that evening, Cecelia goes up to Jessie's room and apologizes for her actions, and Jessie apologizes for being rude once she sees her mother crying. Both of them admit that their grief over Jessie's grandmother, who had passed away over the summer, has negatively affected their lives, especially when it comes to confiding in each other, something that Jessie often did with her grandmother. They decide to turn over a new leaf and rebuild their relationship, and Cecelia gives advice to Jessie on how to handle her insecurities about not having her period. She also declares that her daughter will get it soon. After Alex's horrible period incident, she decides to listen to her mom's advice and eat healthier, and the next day, her symptoms are calmer. That evening, Carrie announces at dinner that she will take Alex and Katelyn bra shopping with her over the weekend, much to their dismays. On Saturday, Carrie takes her daughters to Victoria's Secret PINK, which Alex is opposed to. At PINK, they are guided by Astrid, the high school girl from Alex's sex-ed lesson, and who proves to be just as annoying and shallow on the job. After Astrid makes some uncalled for comments about the preteens' breasts, Carrie admits that coming to PINK was a mistake and tries to leave, but Astrid comes back with bras for the girls to try on. Astrid purposely gives Alex push-up bras that are too sexy for her age, which enrages her and leads her to storm out of the store, where she runs into the Popular Sensations. Carrie catches up with Alex and scolds her about her behavior in the store in front of the popular girls, who mock her, while simultaneously making small talk with Marylin, who is embarrassed to speak to her in front of her friends. When the Sanders leave the story, Alex explodes at her mom about their experience in PINK, but Carrie snaps at her about her tantrum in the store and tells her that she needs to grow up. Though Alex is angered by this, she begins to think that her mom may be right, and starts to regret not taking her previous conversations about puberty seriously. The following Monday before school, Jessie runs into Alex, but at first, things are awkward between them because of their fight from last week. Jessie confesses to Alex that she had been jealous of her for getting her period and apologizes for her cold actions towards her. Alex accepts her apology and gripes about the changes that she had gone through over the past week, which Jessie sympathizes it and offers to be there for Alex to guide her through these changes. The two of them hang out until the bell for homeroom rings. While Jessie is walking to her homeroom class, she feels something dripping inside of her. She and Alex rush to the bathroom, and Jessie discovers that she has started her period. She is overjoyed and relieved about getting it, but ultimately realizes that having her period isn't the only thing that makes her a developed and mature young woman; going through all the changes in life, including mental and emotional, do. Characters (in order of appearance) * Alex Sanders * Jessie Sanchez * Regina Daniels * Coach Bevan * Chloe Winters * Daphne Carson * Maryann Chang * Ellie Jackson * Leah Harrison * Arabella Wilson * Carrie Sanders * Katelyn Sanders * Clarissa Simpson * Gabby Evans * Marylin Roberts * Freddy Hamilton * Cecelia Sanchez Trivia * This book was rewritten four times. First edition, 2009. Fourth edition, November 2018. * This story was based on moments in the author's preteen (and sometimes adult) life, especially when it came to periods. Category:Stories